Many software programs are, at some level, customizable. In order to easily customize software, without the need to compile and recompile it into an executable file every time a customization is changed, many software programs utilize one or more electronic configuration files. The configuration files may be in a format known to the particular software program. For example, each line of a configuration file may include a key name and a key value. The configuration file may be read by the software program. The program may look for a specific format when it reads and parses the configuration file. For example, the software program may presuppose that a key name will precede a key value on every line of the configuration file. If a configuration file does not match the format that a software program is able to read, the software program may not read the configuration file, and the software program may not execute, or the software program may use default configuration parameters. In either instance, the usefulness of a configuration file may be reduced or eliminated.
Unfortunately, the format for electronic configuration files may be different for each software program. In an extreme example, each software program may require a different configuration file format. These differences may be insignificant, or the differences may be drastic.
The problems with the state of the art are that the electronic configuration files may need to be in a very specific format. If they deviate from the format, one or more of the values in the configuration file, or perhaps the entire configuration file, may not be able to be read by the software program. This reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of the configuration file.
A configuration management system may be operable to read one or more electronic configuration files across one or more servers. The configuration management system may also be operable to identify configuration files and perform operations on the configuration files. For example, the configuration management system may be operable to identify differences between different configuration files, or may be operable to make changes to one or more configuration files. While many standardized configuration file formats may be available, there is no requirement in the software industry for configuration file standardization. As a result, when a software program is added to a configuration management system, the user must verify that the configuration file for the software program is compatible with the configuration management system. This may result in burdensome user interaction with and required knowledge of one or more configuration file formats.
In view of the foregoing, it may be understood that there are significant problems and shortcomings associated with current electronic file parsing technologies.